Correlation between the Functional Movement Screen and Hip Mobility in NCAA Division II Athletes

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a series of seven exercises designed to assess athletes prior to competitive training to determine dysfunctional movement patterns. The exercises include the deep squat (DS), hurdle step (HS), inline lunge (IL), shoulder mobility (SM), active straight leg raise (ASL), pushup (PU), and rotary stability (RS), all of which comprise the composite score (FMS CS). The purpose of this study was to determine correlations between the FMS screens and hip mobility. The specific hip range-of-motion exercises used were bilateral internal/external rotation (IRR, IRL ERL, ERR), and flexion/extension (FL, FR, ER, EL). Participants of both genders (32 males, 13 females) were solicited from four sports (baseball, softball, and men's and women's cross-country). The most significant/intriguing correlations were between FMS HS/FL, FMS ILL/R, FMS PU/FL, FMS ALL and IRR/L and ERR/L and FMS SM/ER. All correlations produced were weak to moderate at the .05 level of significance. These results demonstrate that hip range-of-motion plays a minor role in FMS score. Future studies should utilize a larger sample size, including more females, as well as analyze range-of-motion across multiple joints.